In 1882 Luke Short arrived in Dodge City. He was a professional gambler who had gained a reputation as a gunfighter after killing Charlie Storms inside Tombstone’s Oriental Saloon. He looked the part of a professional gambler–impeccably dressed, complete with top hat, diamond tie pin and gold-headed walking stick. He had wandered in and out of frontier towns and became friends with Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. Masterson later wrote that Short was a small man, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighing under 140 pounds. ‘It was a small package, but one of great dynamic force,’ Bat wrote. Short was not a man to be pushed around.

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In February 1883, Short bought out half of the Long Branch Saloon. His partner was William H. Harris, a saloon owner and gambler in Dodge City since 1876. Harris was in the cattle business, too, and had founded Dodge’s first bank. In April 1883 he was picked as the Gang’s mayoral candidate against Lawrence E. Deger, who was outgoing Mayor Webster’s man. Deger had no love for any of the Mastersons, their friends or their friends’ partners. He had been defeated by Bat Masterson for sheriff in November 1877 and then replaced as city marshal by Ed Masterson the following month. He was out to strike back. The stage was now set for the Dodge City War.

Webster and Deger supporters, including the Dodge City Times, made good use of smear tactics in their campaign against Harris. Deger easily won the election. Talk was that railroad men had cast many illegal votes. Dodge was an important town to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and the railroad company wanted the town tamed. Ordinances Nos. 70 and 71 were passed on April 26, 1883. Number 70, ‘An Ordinance For The Suppressing Of Vice And Immorality Within The City Of Dodge City,’ levied fines from $5 to $100 on prostitutes and brothel keepers. Number 71, ‘An Ordinance To Define And Punish Vagrancy,’ placed fines from $10 to $100 on anyone convicted of ‘loitering, loafing or wandering’ within the city limits without a job or visible means of support. The vagrancy ordinance was designed to be quite sweeping and affected keepers of brothels or gambling houses and those ‘engaged in any unlawful calling whatever.’

Two days later, April 28, extra police were hired, and the lawmen arrested three’singers’ at the Long Branch Saloon. After Harris and Short discovered that same day that none of the girls from other saloons had been arrested, Short put on his revolvers and headed for the jail. Deger and his administration clearly had it in for him. As Short approached the jail in the darkness, Louis C. Hartman, city clerk and one of the new policeman, was standing on the walk. According to some accounts, Short opened fire first, but Hartman dove to the ground unhurt. Other accounts say Hartman shot first, but missed Short. As Short returned the fire, Hartman, running in full retreat, tripped and fell off the walk. Thinking he had killed the policeman, Short went back to the Long Branch and barricaded the door. The next morning, Marshal Jack Bridges sent someone to tell Short that he had not hit Hartman and if he would surrender, he would be released after paying a small fine for disturbing the peace. When Short came out unarmed, he was arrested and charged with assault. He was released on $2,000 bond.

Webster and Deger wanted to be rid of Luke Short for several reasons. For one thing, they were afraid of him and his friends. Webster was losing money because it was hard to compete with Harris, Short and the Long Branch’singers.’ Although Deger had won the recent election, he still resented Harris and disliked Short for being a friend of Bat Masterson. Hartman, of course, was also anti-Short, as were such other so-called Reformers as lawyer Mike Sutton and Assistant Marshal Clark Chipman.

A couple of days after being released on bond, Short was arrested, along with five other gamblers. They were told that they were going to jail for being undesirables. The six gamblers were not allowed to see lawyers. After a while, the prisoners were escorted to the depot by a large group of armed men. Short and the others were given a choice–either an eastbound train or a westbound train out of Dodge. Short chose to go east to Kansas City.

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